{"id":5750,"date":"2026-10-21T06:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/?p=5750"},"modified":"2026-10-21T06:31:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T06:31:04","slug":"balinese-gamelan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/balinese-gamelan\/","title":{"rendered":"Balinese Gamelan: Instruments, Ensembles and Sound Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"aob-custom-article\">\n\n<div class=\"definition-box\"><p>Balinese gamelan is the percussion orchestra of Bali, built mostly from tuned metal keys, gongs and drums and played in a style that Wikipedia calls strong and dynamic, with fast rhythms. UNESCO added gamelan to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. This guide covers what a Balinese gamelan is, how it differs from Javanese gamelan, the instruments, the main ensembles from sacred selonding to gong kebyar, how the shimmering sound is made, where the gongs are forged, and how the music connects to the dances and paintings in our gallery.<\/p><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"highlight-inline\"><p><strong>\u041e\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0432\u044b\u0432\u043e\u0434\u044b<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"quality-list\">\n<li>Per Wikipedia, gamelan is ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese peoples, made up mostly of percussion. Balinese gamelan is described as strong and dynamic with fast rhythms, while Javanese gamelan is soft and slow.<\/li>\n<li>Instruments are built in pairs tuned slightly apart. The beating between them is called ombak, which means wave, and it gives the ensemble its shimmer.<\/li>\n<li>Wikipedia sorts Balinese ensembles into three age groups. Selonding is a sacred ensemble dated to at least the 9th century, and gong kebyar had its first public performance in December 1915 at Jagaraga, North Bali.<\/li>\n<li>Tihingan, in Klungkung, is known for its gong makers. NOW! Bali reports that a group of about ten workers can finish one gong in roughly 3 to 4 hours.<\/li>\n<li>We are a gallery, not a music school, and we do not sell gamelan instruments. Our Rhythm of the Village procession painting (acrylic on canvas, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, Rp12,500,000) shows gamelan players in the Ubud style.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"img-block\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/balinese-gamelan-musicians-ubud-street-temple.webp\" alt=\"Balinese gamelan musicians seated at gold and red carved instruments at a street temple concert in Ubud\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" loading=\"eager\" title=\"- Arts of Bali\"><div class=\"img-meta\"><p class=\"caption\">Gamelan musicians at a street temple concert in Ubud, October 2003. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Gamelan_Musicians,_Ubud,_Bali,_Indonesia.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ken Eckert<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">\u041e\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0432\u044b<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">What Is Balinese Gamelan? A Percussion Orchestra Tuned as One Set<\/h2>\n\n<p>Balinese gamelan accompanies ceremony and dance across the island, yet search for it and the first page is a mix of Wikipedia, a travel guide, a school lesson and a resort blog. We carry paintings of village processions and ceremonies, and one of them shows gamelan players, so we wanted one page that connects the music to the art, with every claim tied to a named source.<\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gamelan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikipedia&#8217;s Gamelan entry<\/a> defines gamelan as the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up mostly of percussion instruments. The word comes from a Javanese root meaning to strike with a mallet. Metallophones, which are struck with mallets, are among the most common instruments. The rest of the family includes gongs, drums such as the kendang, xylophones, bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings, and voices.<\/p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/gamelan-01607\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UNESCO&#8217;s 2021 inscription<\/a> describes the instruments as mainly ornate, hand-forged metal percussion. It says the music follows precise rules for tuning, instrument layout and rhythmic patterns, and that the melody is played by several instruments at once, often in interlocking parts that form a single rhythm. Practitioners include people of all genders and ages: vocalists, instrumentalists, instrument makers and tuners. The music is heard in religious rituals, ceremonies, traditional theatre, festivals and concerts.<\/p>\n\n<p>One more point from Wikipedia explains why a gamelan is treated as a set. Each ensemble&#8217;s tuning is distinct, so two gamelans tuned to the same notes can still sound different from one another.<\/p>\n\n<p>The sacred stories that gamelan accompanies on stage and in the puppet theatre are the same ones painters work from, and our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%b9%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%84%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%b8%d0%b8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guide to Balinese mythology painting<\/a> maps them.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Bali and Java<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Balinese Gamelan vs Javanese Gamelan: Same Family, Different Temperament<\/h2>\n\n<p>Wikipedia describes Javanese gamelan as soft and slow in tone, Sundanese gamelan as dominated by flutes and mellow, and Balinese gamelan as strong and dynamic, with fast rhythms. That contrast is the quickest way to tell the two apart by ear. Wikipedia adds that Javanese gamelan uses two tuning systems, slendro with five notes per octave and pelog with seven, and that a full set holds instruments in both but traditionally plays only one at a time.<\/p>\n\n<p>We do not go further into Balinese tuning here. The sources we could check were not specific enough for us to describe the Balinese scales with confidence, and we would rather leave that to musicians and ethnomusicologists than guess.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">The Sound<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Ombak and Kotekan: How the Shimmer and the Speed Are Made<\/h2>\n\n<p>Two features give Balinese gamelan its recognizable sound, and both come from how the instruments are built and shared out between players.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"img-block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/balinese-gamelan-gangsa-pemade-metallophone.webp\" alt=\"Balinese gamelan metallophone with a row of metal keys above a carved gold and red wooden frame\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" title=\"- Arts of Bali\"><div class=\"img-meta\"><p class=\"caption\">A Balinese gamelan metallophone, a row of metal keys over a carved and gilded frame, labelled &#8220;Gangse or Pemade&#8221; on Wikimedia Commons. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Balinese_Gamelan_of_Indonesia_-_Gangse_or_Pemade.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Culturehistory<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Ombak.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Balinese_gamelan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikipedia&#8217;s Balinese gamelan entry<\/a> says instruments are built in pairs tuned slightly apart, which produces interference beats called ombak, meaning wave. One instrument of each pair is tuned a little higher, described as the inhale, and the other a little lower, the exhale. The entry says this beating gives the ensemble its shimmering sound and, in ritual, is said to evoke a sense of a god&#8217;s presence or a meditative state. The gong kebyar entry describes the same pairing as male and female, with the female instrument tuned lower.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Kotekan.<\/strong> In the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gong_kebyar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gong kebyar entry<\/a>, kotekan means complex, complementary melodic and rhythmic patterns. Each pair of gangsa players splits into polos, which mostly plays on the beat, and sangsih, which mostly plays off the beat. Together they produce rapid, virtuosic patterns, so the fast line is made by two players, not one. UNESCO&#8217;s description of interlocking parts that form a single rhythm points at the same idea.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">The Instruments<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Gamelan Instruments in Bali: Who Plays What in a Gong Kebyar<\/h2>\n\n<p>We use the gong kebyar as the map of the instrument family because Wikipedia&#8217;s entry on it lists the parts in detail. It lists the following.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"table-wrap comparison-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Instrument<\/th><th>What the source says<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Gangsa (kantilan and pemade)<\/td><td>Mallet-struck metallophones and the largest section, with 13 to 14 players. Kantilan is the highest sounding, pemade is one octave lower.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Ugal<\/td><td>Usually one instrument, played by an ensemble leader who cues the group.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Jublag and jegogan<\/td><td>The lower metallophones. Jegogan is the deepest tuned.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Gongs<\/td><td>Gong gede, kempur and kemong mark the gong cycle.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Reyong<\/td><td>Twelve kettles played by four musicians.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Kendang<\/td><td>A double-headed drum pair, wadon and lanang, usually led by the wadon player.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Cenceng<\/td><td>A set of small cymbals on a frame.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Suling<\/td><td>Bamboo flutes that double and ornament the melody.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Kempli, kajar, klenang, tawa-tawa<\/td><td>Small kettles that keep the tempo and mark the rhythm.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p class=\"table-note\">\u0418\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u0438\u043a: \u0412\u0438\u043a\u0438\u043f\u0435\u0434\u0438\u044f <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gong_kebyar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gong kebyar<\/a> entry. Player numbers and layouts vary between groups, and we only list what we could check.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"img-block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gamelan-ceng-ceng-cymbal-players-ubud.webp\" alt=\"Women in white tops and purple sarongs holding ceng ceng cymbals in a Balinese gamelan in Ubud\" width=\"816\" height=\"616\" title=\"- Arts of Bali\"><div class=\"img-meta\"><p class=\"caption\">Ceng ceng players in a gong kebyar orchestra in Ubud, 2004, according to the Commons description. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Ceng_ceng_Ubud.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">User:Scott<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY 2.5<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p>The drum has a job that is easy to miss. Wikipedia&#8217;s Gamelan entry says the kendang keeps the beat and signals transitions between sections.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">The Ensembles<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">The Balinese Gamelan Ensembles, From Sacred Selonding to Gong Kebyar<\/h2>\n\n<p>Bali has many kinds of gamelan, not one. Wikipedia groups them by age into wayah, the older types, madya, from roughly the 16th to the 19th century, and anyar, the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"table-wrap comparison-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Age group<\/th><th>Ensembles Wikipedia lists<\/th><th>What the sources say<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Wayah (older, thought to predate the 15th century)<\/td><td>Selonding, gender wayang, baleganjur, angklung, genggong, gambang and others<\/td><td>Selonding is a sacred ensemble kept in temples, dated to at least the 9th century. Gender is used in life-cycle ceremonies. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/ogoh-ogoh-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ogoh-ogoh guide<\/a> says a baleganjur percussion ensemble often accompanies the parade.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Madya (about 16th to 19th century)<\/td><td>Gong gede, semar pagulingan, pelegongan, bebarongan, batel barong, penggambuhan and others<\/td><td>Gong gede is used in temple ceremonies. The names pelegongan and bebarongan point to the Legong and Barong repertoires. Wikipedia notes that drums became prominent in this era.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Anyar (20th century)<\/td><td>Gong kebyar, jegog, joged bumbung, janger and others<\/td><td>Wikipedia calls kebyar one of the most recent Balinese styles and notes prominent drum playing in the anyar group.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p class=\"table-note\">\u0418\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u0438\u043a: \u0412\u0438\u043a\u0438\u043f\u0435\u0434\u0438\u044f <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Balinese_gamelan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balinese gamelan<\/a> \u0438 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gamelan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u0413\u0430\u043c\u0435\u043b\u0430\u043d<\/a> entries, with the ogoh-ogoh detail from our own guide. The lists are long, and we show only part of each.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"img-block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gamelan-gong-gede-bali-hotel-denpasar-1900-1940.webp\" alt=\"Historic black and white photo of a large Balinese gamelan gong gede orchestra seated in rows outdoors under trees\" width=\"700\" height=\"518\" title=\"- Arts of Bali\"><div class=\"img-meta\"><p class=\"caption\">A gamelan orchestra giving a Gamelan Gong Gede performance for the Bali Hotel in Denpasar, dated by the Tropenmuseum catalogue to between 1900 and 1940. Photographer unknown. Photo: Wereldmuseum Amsterdam (formerly Tropenmuseum), <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, via <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Gamelanorkest_geeft_een_Gamelan_Gong_Gede_voorstelling_voor_het_Bali_Hotel_in_Denpasar_TMnr_60030927.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p>Two details from the same Wikipedia entry show how local the music is. Ensembles are kept in a bal\u00e9, an open-sided pavilion, so the sound carries into the community, and ownership by the banjar, the neighborhood association, is common. A sekaha, the gamelan group, is led by one instructor who helps it develop new pieces, often leaving room for improvisation. Pieces can change over time, except for the most sacred ones.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Gong Kebyar<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Gong Kebyar: The Style That Burst Open in 1915<\/h2>\n\n<p>Gong kebyar is the ensemble in this guide with a dated first public performance. Wikipedia says it was first documented in North Bali in the early 1900s, and that its first public performance was in December 1915 at a gamelan competition in Jagaraga. The entry does not name one creator. It notes that the Dutch sponsored island-wide competitions until Japanese forces ended their rule in World War II.<\/p>\n\n<p>The name explains the sound. Kebyar means to flare up or burst open, which refers to the style&#8217;s sudden shifts in tempo and dynamics. Wikipedia says its explosive, mostly unmetered openings derive from kebyar legong of Buleleng, North Bali, and that early new compositions were loosely constructed and rhapsodic before becoming more standardized through the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n<p>Dance is part of the kebyar story too. Wikipedia mentions Kebyar Duduk and Kebyar Trompong as dance pieces in which a dancer plays the trompong. Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/balinese-dancer-wood-carving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Balinese dancer wood carving<\/a> adds that Kebyar Duduk was first performed in 1925 by I Ketut Marya, known as I Mario, and that its seated or crouched posture grew out of performing inside a tightly packed gamelan. Wikipedia&#8217;s source for kebyar&#8217;s openings, kebyar legong of Buleleng, shares a name with the classical dance in our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/legong-dance-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">legong dance guide<\/a>, though we have not checked how closely the two are related.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">The Makers<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Where Gamelan Gongs Come From: The Pande Gong of Tihingan<\/h2>\n\n<p>NOW! Bali&#8217;s 8 November 2023 feature on Tihingan village, written by Edward Speirs, describes how gongs are forged there. A metal disc about 20 cm across is heated in a fire and hammered on a flat stone while being turned, again and again, until it grows to roughly 55 cm. Stones set at angles under the disc help raise the gong&#8217;s walls, and mallets and a grinder handle the final smoothing. A group of about ten workers can finish one gong in roughly 3 to 4 hours.<\/p>\n\n<p>Two specialists share the work. The pengrajin shapes the instrument by eye, and the tukang laras, the tuning expert, tunes each instrument or key by ear. The article says the smith clan, called pande, is said to descend from the lowest caste yet earned special status because its metalworking skills were considered almost magical. Tihingan&#8217;s craftsmen are known as pande gong, and the village&#8217;s gong-making tradition is said to date to the 16th century and to be linked to the Gelgel Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n<p>On the metal itself, the sources we read do not agree. Wikipedia says the best gamelan bronze is about ten parts copper to three parts tin, while the Tihingan article describes bronze or brass made with a set ratio of copper, zinc and lead. We would treat any single recipe with care.<\/p>\n\n<p>Tihingan is in Klungkung, the same regency as the painting village covered in our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%bc%d0%b0%d1%81%d0%b0%d0%bd-%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kamasan painting guide<\/a>. Working metal carries its own holy day: our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/tumpek-landep-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tumpek Landep guide<\/a> explains that a blacksmith&#8217;s own equipment is traditionally blessed on that day. Cast bronze figures use a different method, the lost-wax technique, which we cover in our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/bali-bronze-statue-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bali bronze statue guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Ceremony<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Gamelan in Ceremony: Blessings, Temple Rites and Processions<\/h2>\n\n<p>Gamelan is part of ceremony, not only a soundtrack to it. Wikipedia&#8217;s Balinese gamelan entry says gong gede is used in temple ceremonies, gender is used in life-cycle ceremonies, and gamelan is used in ngaben death-ceremony processions.<\/p>\n\n<p>The instruments themselves are honored. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/tumpek-wayang-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tumpek Wayang guide<\/a> describes the gender wayang, the small ensemble that traditionally accompanies a wayang kulit performance, being honored alongside the puppets, and a gamelan set touched with holy water before it is played again. That makes the music part of the same arts calendar as Kamasan painting and carving.<\/p>\n\n<p>For the festive side, our guide says the <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/ogoh-ogoh-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">parade of an ogoh-ogoh statue<\/a> before Nyepi moves with torches and music alongside, often a baleganjur percussion ensemble.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Dance<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Gamelan and Dance: The Orchestra a Dancer Answers<\/h2>\n\n<p>In Balinese dance, the music and the body are tied together. Wikipedia&#8217;s Balinese dance entry says articulation of the face and eyes is coordinated with the layered percussive sounds of the gamelan.<\/p>\n\n<p>Several dances we cover are tied to gamelan. <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/legong-dance-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u041b\u0435\u0433\u043e\u043d\u0433<\/a> is danced to gamelan by two dancers and a condong, according to our guide. Wikipedia&#8217;s list of Balinese ensembles includes bebarongan and batel barong, names that point to the <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/barong-dance-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u0422\u0430\u043d\u0435\u0446 \u0411\u0430\u0440\u043e\u043d\u0433<\/a>. The exception is <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/kecak-dance-bali\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">kecak<\/a>, where, per our guide, Walter Spies suggested a chanting chorus in place of a gamelan.<\/p>\n\n<p>The stories those dances act out are the same ones painters draw on, which is the subject of our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%b9%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%84%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%b8%d0%b8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u041a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0438\u0437 \u0431\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043c\u0438\u0444\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0438<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Listening<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">What to Listen For in Balinese Gamelan<\/h2>\n\n<p>We are not performers, so this is a short list built only from the sources above. If you are listening to a recording or a live ensemble, these are four things the sources let you notice.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"cultural-cards\">\n<div class=\"cultural-card\"><h3>The shimmer<\/h3><p>Pairs of instruments tuned slightly apart beat against each other. That wavering is ombak.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"cultural-card\"><h3>The fast lines<\/h3><p>In kotekan, two players share one rapid pattern, one mostly on the beat and one mostly off it.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"cultural-card\"><h3>The drum cues<\/h3><p>The kendang keeps the beat and signals changes of section, and in kebyar the ugal leader cues the group.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"cultural-card\"><h3>The sudden shifts<\/h3><p>Kebyar means to burst open. Expect abrupt changes of tempo and loudness.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">From Our Side<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">What We Know and What We Defer On<\/h2>\n\n<p>We are an art gallery in Seminyak, not a music school, a gamelan workshop or a ticket desk. What we write here comes from the sources named in this post and from our own guides and paintings. We do not list venues, rehearsal times or ticket prices, because we could not verify them and they change. On tuning, repertoire and the ritual use of the instruments, we defer to the musicians, makers and teachers who carry the tradition. If you spot something we should correct, tell us and we will fix it.<\/p>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">In the Gallery<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Paintings Where the Gamelan Plays<\/h2>\n\n<p>We do not sell gamelan instruments, so the closest we come is paintings of the occasions where they are played. The Rhythm of the Village Procession Painting is listed as an original artwork in the traditional Ubud style, acrylic on cotton canvas, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, at Rp12,500,000. The listing describes a lively ceremonial procession with village residents in ceremonial attire, traditional gamelan players and sacred regalia moving past a red-brick temple gateway. The listing does not name the painter, so we do not either.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"img-block\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/iringan-1_19_11zon.webp\" alt=\"Ubud-style painting of a Balinese procession with a drummer leading villagers past a red-brick temple gate\" width=\"880\" height=\"660\" title=\"- Arts of Bali\"><div class=\"img-meta\"><p class=\"caption\">The Rhythm of the Village Procession Painting, original acrylic on cotton canvas, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, shown in a light wood frame, at Arts of Bali.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"table-wrap comparison-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Piece<\/th><th>Details from the listing<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%8f\/rhythm-of-the-village-procession-painting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rhythm of the Village Procession Painting<\/a><\/td><td>Traditional Ubud technique, acrylic on cotton canvas, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, Rp12,500,000. The listing mentions gamelan players.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%8f\/large-balinese-ceremony-procession-painting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0430\u044f \u0431\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0439\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \"\u0426\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043d\u0438\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0446\u0435\u0441\u0441\u0438\u044f<\/a><\/td><td>Palette texture technique, acrylic on cotton canvas, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, Rp6,500,000. Crowd of devotees, penjor and temple gates.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%8f\/the-elegant-legong-dancer-painting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u041a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u00ab\u042d\u043b\u0435\u0433\u0430\u043d\u0442\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0442\u0430\u043d\u0446\u043e\u0432\u0449\u0438\u0446\u0430 \u041b\u0435\u0433\u043e\u043d\u0433\u00bb<\/a><\/td><td>Impressionistic watercolor on cotton canvas, 60 \u00d7 80 cm, Rp1,500,000. A dancer in ceremonial attire holding a fan.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p class=\"table-note\">Details are from the product listings, checked on 21 October 2026. Each is a single original piece, so price and availability can change. For more on how ceremony and procession scenes are painted, see our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/bali-temple-ceremony-painting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bali temple ceremony painting<\/a>, our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b2-%d1%81%d1%82%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%b5-%d1%83%d0%b1%d1%83%d0%b4-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u0420\u043e\u0441\u043f\u0438\u0441\u044c \u0432 \u0441\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0435 \u0423\u0431\u0443\u0434\u0430<\/a>, and the wider tradition in our <a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%b9%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%84%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%b8%d0%b8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u041a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0438\u0437 \u0431\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043c\u0438\u0444\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0438<\/a> hub.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"cta-block\"><h3>Ask About the Procession Painting<\/h3><p>Tell us the wall you have in mind and we will send close-up photos of the gamelan players, the exact size, and shipping options for the Rhythm of the Village painting. We ship worldwide.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/6285237454011\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"cta-btn\">\u0427\u0430\u0442 \u0432 WhatsApp<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%8f\/rhythm-of-the-village-procession-painting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"cta-btn outline\">View the Procession Painting<\/a><\/div>\n\n<span class=\"section-label\">Questions<\/span>\n<h2 class=\"section-h2\">Balinese Gamelan FAQ<\/h2>\n\n<div class=\"faq-section\">\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What is Balinese gamelan?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">Balinese gamelan is the traditional percussion ensemble music of Bali, built mostly from tuned metal keys, gongs and drums. Wikipedia describes it as strong and dynamic with fast rhythms. UNESCO added gamelan to its intangible heritage list in 2021. Many ensembles exist, from the sacred selonding to the modern gong kebyar.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What instruments are in a Balinese gamelan?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">A gong kebyar has gangsa metallophones in two sizes, a leader&#8217;s ugal, deeper jublag and jegogan, gongs that mark the cycle, the twelve-kettle reyong, a pair of kendang drums, small cymbals, bamboo flutes and tempo kettles, according to Wikipedia. Other ensembles use different mixes of instruments.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What is the difference between Balinese and Javanese gamelan?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">Wikipedia describes Javanese gamelan as soft and slow in tone and Balinese gamelan as strong and dynamic with fast rhythms. Javanese sets use two tuning systems, slendro and pelog. Balinese instruments are built in pairs tuned slightly apart, which creates the shimmering beat called ombak.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What is ombak in gamelan?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">Ombak means wave. Per Wikipedia, Balinese instruments are built in pairs tuned slightly apart, one a little higher and one a little lower, so their sound beats against itself. This interference gives the ensemble its shimmering tone and, in ritual, is said to evoke a sense of a god&#8217;s presence or a meditative state.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What is kotekan?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">Kotekan is a set of complex, complementary melodic and rhythmic patterns, according to Wikipedia&#8217;s gong kebyar entry. A pair of gangsa players splits into polos, which mostly plays on the beat, and sangsih, which mostly plays off the beat. Together they produce rapid, virtuosic patterns that neither player makes alone.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">What is gong kebyar?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">Gong kebyar is a Balinese gamelan style first documented in North Bali in the early 1900s. Wikipedia says its first public performance was in December 1915 at a competition in Jagaraga. Kebyar means to flare up or burst open, which describes its sudden shifts in tempo and dynamics.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">How are gamelan gongs made in Bali?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">NOW! Bali&#8217;s report on Tihingan village describes heating a metal disc of about 20 cm and hammering it on a flat stone until it grows to roughly 55 cm. About ten workers can finish one gong in 3 to 4 hours. A shaper forms it by eye, and a tuner called a tukang laras tunes it by ear.<\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"faq-item\"><summary class=\"faq-q\">Does Arts of Bali sell gamelan instruments?<\/summary><div class=\"faq-a\">No. We are an art gallery in Seminyak, and we do not list gamelan instruments. We do carry paintings of the occasions where gamelan is played, such as the Rhythm of the Village Procession Painting, 85 \u00d7 135 cm, at Rp12,500,000. Each is a single original piece, so message us on WhatsApp to confirm availability. We ship worldwide.<\/div><\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tag-row\"><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3\/bali-culture\/\" class=\"tag\">Bali Culture<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3\/balinese-tradition\/\" class=\"tag\">Balinese Tradition<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3\/balinese-gamelan\/\" class=\"tag\">Balinese Gamelan<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/%d1%82%d0%b5%d0%b3\/%d0%b6%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%bf%d0%b8%d1%81%d1%8c-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%b9%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%84%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b3%d0%b8%d0%b8\/\" class=\"tag\">\u0416\u0438\u0432\u043e\u043f\u0438\u0441\u044c \u0431\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0439\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043c\u0438\u0444\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438\u0438<\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n    \"@graph\": [\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/artsofbali.com\\\/balinese-gamelan\\\/#article\",\n            \"headline\": \"Balinese Gamelan: Instruments, Ensembles and Sound Explained\",\n            \"description\": \"Balinese gamelan is Bali's percussion orchestra. 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Together they produce rapid, virtuosic patterns that neither player makes alone.\"\n                    }\n                },\n                {\n                    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n                    \"name\": \"What is gong kebyar?\",\n                    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                        \"text\": \"Gong kebyar is a Balinese gamelan style first documented in North Bali in the early 1900s. Wikipedia says its first public performance was in December 1915 at a competition in Jagaraga. Kebyar means to flare up or burst open, which describes its sudden shifts in tempo and dynamics.\"\n                    }\n                },\n                {\n                    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n                    \"name\": \"How are gamelan gongs made in Bali?\",\n                    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                        \"text\": \"NOW! Bali's report on Tihingan village describes heating a metal disc of about 20 cm and hammering it on a flat stone until it grows to roughly 55 cm. About ten workers can finish one gong in 3 to 4 hours. A shaper forms it by eye, and a tuner called a tukang laras tunes it by ear.\"\n                    }\n                },\n                {\n                    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n                    \"name\": \"Does Arts of Bali sell gamelan instruments?\",\n                    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                        \"text\": \"No. We are an art gallery in Seminyak, and we do not list gamelan instruments. We do carry paintings of the occasions where gamelan is played, such as the Rhythm of the Village Procession Painting, 85 \\u00d7 135 cm, at Rp12,500,000. Each is a single original piece, so message us on WhatsApp to confirm availability. 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Learn the instruments, ombak, kotekan, ensembles from selonding to gong kebyar, and how gongs are made.\",\n            \"isPartOf\": {\n                \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/artsofbali.com\\\/#website\",\n                \"name\": \"Arts of Bali\",\n                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/artsofbali.com\"\n            },\n            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/artsofbali.com\\\/balinese-gamelan\\\/#primaryimage\"\n            },\n            \"breadcrumb\": {\n                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/artsofbali.com\\\/balinese-gamelan\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n            }\n        }\n    ]\n}<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Balinese gamelan is the percussion orchestra of Bali, built mostly from tuned metal keys, gongs and drums and played in a style that Wikipedia calls strong and dynamic, with fast rhythms. UNESCO added gamelan to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. This guide covers what a Balinese gamelan is, [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[161,337,225,160],"class_list":["post-5750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-painting","tag-bali-culture","tag-balinese-gamelan","tag-balinese-mythology-painting","tag-balinese-tradition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5751,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5750\/revisions\/5751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsofbali.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}